ACROSS THE NATION.

Backers drop plan to hunt feral cats

MANITOWOC, WISCONSI — A month after Gov. Jim Doyle said a plan to allow hunters to shoot wild cats was making the state a laughingstock, the group that raised the issue decided Friday to let it die.

"There is no need to push it any further," Wisconsin Conservation Congress Chairman Steve Oestreicher said about a proposal to classify wild cats as an unprotected species, the same category as skunks.

The change would have allowed licensed hunters to shoot feral cats.

"The governor has indicated he would never sign a bill," Oestreicher said. "It's time to let it go."